The purpose of organizations is to produce and deliver goods and services of value to customers while generating a surplus for owners. Value chain management focuses on understanding what different customers value, measuring inputs and outputs to assess value, and generating higher value for customers and greater surplus for organizations.
In this Specialization, you will gain competencies that are critical for managers in any functional area. You will learn to create, model, analyze, and maximize value in accounting, operations, and marketing.
This Specialization is part of the University of Illinois iMBA Program. Each course fulfills a portion of the requirements for a University of Illinois course that can earn you college credit.
When you complete the Value Chain Management Specialization, you will:
· Understand how to apply a financial perspective of accounting for costs, understand how financial and non-financial accounting information facilitates strategic performance measurement, and integrate this information to continuously improve strategy.
· Understand the role of operations management and process improvement, synthesize information to make decisions for organizational initiatives, and apply analytical techniques for tactical operations and process improvement decisions.
· Understand how marketing works in the business world and how various marketing elements interact to create value for consumers and ultimately maximize value for your organization.

100% online courses

100% online courses

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Flexible Schedule

Flexible Schedule

Set and maintain flexible deadlines.

Intermediate Level

Intermediate Level

Hours to complete

Approx. 8 months to complete

Suggested 5 hours/week

Available languages

English

Subtitles: English, Vietnamese

Skills you will gain

Management AccountingQuality ControlOperations ManagementMarketing

100% online courses

100% online courses

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Flexible Schedule

Flexible Schedule

Set and maintain flexible deadlines.

Intermediate Level

Intermediate Level

Hours to complete

Approx. 8 months to complete

Suggested 5 hours/week

Available languages

English

Subtitles: English, Vietnamese

How the Specialization Works

Take Courses

A Coursera Specialization is a series of courses that helps you master a skill. To begin, enroll in the Specialization directly, or review its courses and choose the one you'd like to start with. When you subscribe to a course that is part of a Specialization, you’re automatically subscribed to the full Specialization. It’s okay to complete just one course — you can pause your learning or end your subscription at any time. Visit your learner dashboard to track your course enrollments and your progress.

Hands-on Project

Every Specialization includes a hands-on project. You'll need to successfully finish the project(s) to complete the Specialization and earn your certificate. If the Specialization includes a separate course for the hands-on project, you'll need to finish each of the other courses before you can start it.

Earn a Certificate

When you finish every course and complete the hands-on project, you'll earn a Certificate that you can share with prospective employers and your professional network.

There are 7 Courses in this Specialization

In this course, you will learn how to use accounting to facilitate and align decisions made by owners, managers, and employees. You will learn how accountants create, organize, interpret, and communicate information that improves internal processes, and allows organizations to identify and leverage opportunities to create value within the supply chain and with customers.
Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:
• Understand what managerial accounting is and why it is important.
• Describe fundamental concepts of managerial accounting.
• Apply the financial perspective of accounting for costs.
• Identify problems associated with relying on financial accounting information for internal decision making.
• Organize cost information according to the decision-making needs of the organization.
• Apply activity-based costing (ABC) and recognize the influence of setting and decision characteristics on the relevance of ABC systems.
• Address common "what-if" questions using cost-volume-profit (CVP) analysis.
• Apply CVP analysis in a variety of scenarios.
This course is part of the iMBA offered by the University of Illinois, a flexible, fully-accredited online MBA at an incredibly competitive price. For more information, please see the Resource page in this course and onlinemba.illinois.edu.

In this course, you will explore how to use accounting to allocate resources and incentivize manager and employee behaviors in using these resources. You will also learn how financial and non-financial accounting information facilitates strategic performance measurement and how to integrate this information to continuously improve strategy.
Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:
• Understand the role of managerial accounting information in common business decisions
• Differentiate relevant and irrelevant information
• Avoid common pitfalls in business decisions
• Prepare a master budget and its key components
• Describe the iterative and interrelated nature of budgeting
• Evaluate capital investments via a variety of measures
• Understand how upper management uses variance analysis
• Calculate, interpret, and investigate variances
• Understand decentralization and its advantages and disadvantages
• Compute and interpret financial performance measures
• Communicate the role of non-financial measures and strategic performance measurement systems
• Identify issues associated with performance measurement and incentives
• Understand the nature and role of subjective performance evaluation
This course is part of the iMBA offered by the University of Illinois, a flexible, fully-accredited online MBA at an incredibly competitive price. For more information, please see the Resource page in this course and onlinemba.illinois.edu.

In this course, you will learn about the role of operations and how they are connected to other business functions in manufacturing- and service-focused organizations. You will learn and practice the use of decision-making frameworks and techniques applicable at all levels, from management-level strategic decisions such as connecting process to the needs of various customer segments, to front-line tactical decisions such as choosing between ordering larger quantities vs. ordering more frequently.
Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:
• Understand the role of operations management
• Relate underlying principles to operations management frameworks and techniques
• Synthesize information to make strategic operations decisions
• Evaluate processes on different dimensions
• Apply analytical techniques for tactical operations decision
This course is part of the iMBA offered by the University of Illinois, a flexible, fully-accredited online MBA at an incredibly competitive price. For more information, please see onlinemba.illinois.edu.

In this course you will focus on process improvement. You will learn how to set organizational priorities for continuous process improvement, how to execute process improvement projects, and how to sustain the initiative for continuous improvements.
Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:
• Understand the roles of process improvement
• Relate underlying principles to frameworks and techniques used for process improvement
• Synthesize information to make decisions for organizational initiatives and process improvement
• Apply analytical techniques for tactical decisions in a process improvement project
This course is part of the iMBA offered by the University of Illinois, a flexible, fully-accredited online MBA at an incredibly competitive price. For more information, please see the Resource page in this course and onlinemba.illinois.edu.

Start working towards your Master's degree

This specialization is part of the 100% online Master of Business Administration (iMBA) from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
If you are admitted to the full program, your courses count towards your degree learning.

About University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a world leader in research, teaching and public engagement, distinguished by the breadth of its programs, broad academic excellence, and internationally renowned faculty and alumni. Illinois serves the world by creating knowledge, preparing students for lives of impact, and finding solutions to critical societal needs. ...

Frequently Asked Questions

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What is the refund policy?

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Can I just enroll in a single course?

Yes! To get started, click the course card that interests you and enroll. You can enroll and complete the course to earn a shareable certificate, or you can audit it to view the course materials for free. When you subscribe to a course that is part of a Specialization, you’re automatically subscribed to the full Specialization. Visit your learner dashboard to track your progress.

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Is financial aid available?

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Can I take the course for free?

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Is this course really 100% online? Do I need to attend any classes in person?

This course is completely online, so there’s no need to show up to a classroom in person. You can access your lectures, readings and assignments anytime and anywhere via the web or your mobile device.

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How often is each course in the Specialization offered?

Each course in the Specialization is offered on a regular schedule with sessions starting about once per month. If you don't complete a course on the first try, you can easily transfer to the next session, and your completed work and grades will carry over.

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Do I need to take the courses in a specific order?

It is recommended that the courses in the Specialization be taken in the order outlined. Some courses do list other courses as prerequisites. In the Capstone Project, you will have the opportunity to synthesize your learning in all six courses and apply your combined skills in a final project.

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How long does it take to complete the Specialization?

Time to completion can vary widely based on your schedule, most learners are able to complete the Specialization in 3-6 months.

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Will I earn university credit for completing the Specialization?

iMBA courses in Coursera do not carry University of Illinois credit on
their own. Each course has an enhanced for-credit component. You can earn
academic credit if you combine an iMBA Coursera course with the enhanced
for-credit component offered on the University of Illinois platform. Some
universities may choose to accept Specialization Certificates for credit. Check
with your institution to learn more.

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What will I be able to do upon completing the Specialization?

· You will learn how to apply financial
perspective of accounting for costs, understand how financial and non-financial
accounting information facilitates strategic performance measurement and
integrate this information to continuously improve strategy.

· You will understand the role of operations
management and process improvement, synthesize information to make decisions for organizational
initiatives and apply analytical
techniques for tactical operations and process improvement decisions.

· Finally, you will
enhance your understanding of how marketing works in the business world and how
various marketing elements interact to create value for consumers and
ultimately maximize value for your organization.

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What background knowledge is necessary?

Background and knowledge in statistical concepts is strongly recommended.